Sunday, October 07, 2007

I store all of my fabric stash in boxes. I had several different size boxes and some plastic tubs. Well, I'm tired of my sewing area always looking like a total mess. I saw a couple of great tips on Pattern review, and thought I'd combine them to try and get my stash a little better organized. Because I keep everything in a binder, I have no trouble finding what I want. But even still, I hate digging through a box to try to find a certain fabric. Also, sometimes seeing the whold fabric gives you a better idea than just a little swatch. They do sell fabric organizers, but they are pretty expensive. Here's my method

First, I went to the local comic book store and bought a bunch of "regular size" backer boards. They cost 9 cents each. I bought 30, went back and bought 50 more. I need to go back and get some more because I want to do this with all of my scraps too. I also went to Office Depot and bought a pack of 10 bankers boxes for about $15.00. I was using copy paper boxes (free) but the bankers boxes are really sturdier, plus the handles make them easier to lift.

Then, I unfolded my fabric and refolded it. Fabric is folded in half length wise, and if it is over 2 yards, I fold it again cross wise. I then fold the 44" fabric in half again lengthwise so that it is now about 11"-12" wide. anything wider than that is folded into thirds

I put the backer board on top of the folded fabric and then start folding it around the board - sort of like a bolt in the fabric store. I have seen this done and all the fabric displayed on book shelves. This looks beautiful, but my house is not that dust-free (ahem...) so I prefer to keep it in boxes. Also, this protects it from sunlight - and cat hair!

Once the fabric is folded, I put the box on end and start stacking the fabric rolls. When the box is full, I turn it right side up. Now all my fabric is easy to see at a glance and I can actually fit more into a box than I had before.

Thanks for a great tip. If you don't mind my adding two cents... Should your stash ever out-grow your allowable storage space by insane proportions (as mine has) you might have to upgrade your organization solutions. I wrap my fabric onto empty fabric bolts that I got free of charge from my local JoAnns. They stack nicely and neatly on the top shelf of my closet.